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Value at a Glance

Averages based on real user reviews.

Time to Implement

3 months

Return on Investment

12 months

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Visual Studio Reviews (3,965)

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Reviews

Visual Studio Reviews (3,965)

View 6 Video Reviews
4.5
3,965 reviews

Review Summary

Generated using AI from real user reviews
Users consistently praise the powerful debugging tools and IntelliSense features of Visual Studio, which significantly enhance coding efficiency and error detection. The extensive library of extensions allows for a highly customizable development environment, making it suitable for various programming needs. However, many users note that it can be resource-intensive, leading to slower performance on lower-end systems.

Pros & Cons

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Adithya S.
AS
Web development student
Design
Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.)
Business partner of the seller or seller's competitor, not included in G2 scores.
"Powerful All-in-One IDE with Excellent Debugging, IntelliSense, and Git Integration"
What do you like best about Visual Studio?

Visual Studio is an incredibly powerful IDE that offers everything I need for complex web development in one place. What I like best is the robust debugging environment and the IntelliSense feature, which significantly speeds up my coding process by providing accurate completions and error highlighting. The built-in Git integration and the vast library of extensions allow me to customize my workflow perfectly for my projects. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

What do you dislike about Visual Studio?

While Visual Studio is incredibly powerful, its resource consumption is a notable drawback. It is a 'heavy' IDE that can be quite demanding on system memory (RAM), occasionally leading to slower performance during intensive tasks. Additionally, the startup time for large solutions can be long, and the sheer volume of features and settings creates a steep learning curve for newer developers or those moving from lighter text editors. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

Siddhartha P.
SP
Research Internship
Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.)
"A Complete Development Environment That Boosted My Productivity"
What do you like best about Visual Studio?

One thing stands out with Visual Studio - its sharp debugging paired with a complete built-in environment. Working inside a single space lets coding flow into testing, then straight to fixing errors, skipping extra apps altogether. On my own backend tasks, even complex full-stack builds, it turned out to be a steady companion.

Heavy on memory at times, yet the perks - smart code suggestions, built-in version control, handy add-ons - tip the scale. Productivity gets a clear boost after some time spent adjusting Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

What do you dislike about Visual Studio?

One moment everything runs fine, next - memory spikes hit without warning. Extensions pile up quietly until the system drags behind. Performance dips show up most when stacking tools together. The editor keeps ticking, yet feels heavier than before.

Getting things running at first might slow you down a bit. Still, most find the speed later makes up for early waits. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

Fabrizio M.
FM
OPERATORE ANTINCENDIO - OSPEDALE PEDIATRICO BAMBINO GESù
Hospital & Health Care
Enterprise (> 1000 emp.)
""
Amit S.
AS
Co-Founder
Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.)
"Best Platform For Software Development"
What do you like best about Visual Studio?

A complete platform for web or application development. It includes the toolset most developers look for and comes with an IDE. I use it for .NET and PHP, and I believe it’s one of the best IDEs (Integrated Development Environment) I’ve worked with. It also allows me to develop cross-platform applications. It’s available across platforms and supports C#, Java, Visual Basic, HTML, XML, and more. One of the best parts is that it provides a team development environment and makes coding easier. It's AI made it more easier to write codes Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

What do you dislike about Visual Studio?

The reporting feature should be more effective. Other than that, I didn’t find anything I can say I dislike. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

GL
Quality Engineering Intern
Enterprise (> 1000 emp.)
"Helpful Guides, Easy Drag-and-Drop Form Design, and Handy Built-In Github Copilot"
What do you like best about Visual Studio?

I really like using the availability of guides on how to use the specific aspects of the IDE like the toolbox when designing a form allowing a user to drag and drop elements directly onto the page making the designing much more simple to do. The built-in copilot ai support is nice too allowing you to highlight specific parts or error messages and ask it for help on fixing it. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

What do you dislike about Visual Studio?

Installing NuGet Packages is not integrated in very well. Often requiring a restart to ensure the package has been properly installed into the solution and even running the NuGet package manager causes the IDE to slow down drastically. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

Abraam C.
AC
Front End Developer
Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.)
"Complete Yet Uncluttered—IntelliSense and Debugging That Save Time"
What do you like best about Visual Studio?

What I like most about Visual Studio is how complete it feels without ever becoming overwhelming. IntelliSense is incredibly helpful—it speeds up my coding a lot and cuts down on small, silly mistakes. I also really appreciate the debugging tools: being able to step through code, inspect variables, and quickly track down issues ends up saving me a ton of time. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

What do you dislike about Visual Studio?

At times, it takes a while to load, and the performance can feel laggy if your machine isn’t powerful enough to handle it smoothly. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

Rohini M.
RM
Associate Consultant
Enterprise (> 1000 emp.)
"Comprehensive IDE for Enterprise Development"
What do you like best about Visual Studio?

Using Microsoft Visual Studio has made application development more efficient and well-structured, especially for backend and enterprise-level projects. It provides a complete environment for coding, debugging, and testing, which reduces dependency on multiple tools.

The ease of use is quite good once you get familiar with it. The interface is clean and customizable, making it easier to manage multiple projects. Features like IntelliSense, code navigation, and built-in templates help speed up development and reduce errors.

Implementation is straightforward with a guided setup that allows selecting specific workloads, making onboarding easier. The IDE offers a rich set of features such as advanced debugging, integrated terminal, testing tools, and code analysis, all of which improve productivity and code quality.

Integration is seamless with version control systems and other Microsoft tools, which supports smooth collaboration in team environments. I use it regularly in my daily workflow, and it performs reliably even for larger projects.

From a support perspective, Microsoft provides extensive documentation, community forums, and regular updates, which help in resolving most issues efficiently. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

What do you dislike about Visual Studio?

While Microsoft Visual Studio is a powerful IDE, there are some areas that could be improved. The setup process, although guided, can take a considerable amount of time due to the size of the installation.

In terms of ease of use, the UI can feel overwhelming initially because of the number of features and configuration options, especially for new users.

Performance is another concern at times. The IDE can be resource-intensive, leading to slower startup times and occasional lag when working on large solutions or using multiple extensions.

Although integration with Microsoft tools is strong, working with certain third-party tools may require extra configuration, which impacts ease of integration.

From a customer support perspective, while documentation and community support are helpful, resolving very specific or complex issues can sometimes take longer than expected, especially when official support responses are not immediate.

Overall, improvements in performance optimization, simplified UI for beginners, and faster support responses would enhance the overall experience. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

Gopal k.
GK
Software Engineer
Information Technology and Services
Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.)
"Simple to Use and Easy to Implement"
What do you like best about Visual Studio?

The IntelliSense is extremely powerful — it doesn’t just autocomplete, it understands context. The debugger is one of the best available; features like conditional breakpoints, watch windows, and immediate window make diagnosing issues much faster. For large enterprise applications, especially in C# and ASP.NET, Visual Studio feels mature, stable, and optimized for serious development work. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

What do you dislike about Visual Studio?

MeOne thing I dislike about Visual Studio is that it can be heavy and resource-intensive, especially for large enterprise solutions. Startup time and solution load time can be slow compared to lighter IDEs.

It also sometimes feels overloaded with features, which can make it overwhelming for beginners or when working on smaller projects where a lightweight editor would be faster. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

Jorge R.
JR
Support Team Lead
Mid-Market (51-1000 emp.)
"The most powerful all-in-one IDE in the market supercharged with AI"
What do you like best about Visual Studio?

It’s the most powerful IDE on the market, capable of handling just about everything. It’s the best choice for the Microsoft stack, but it can also be used to develop for macOS, iOS, Java, Android, etc. I use it every day in my development work.

Productivity is excellent, thanks to all its refactoring and IntelliSense capabilities. The debugger is out of this world: it lets you set different types of breakpoints, do time travel, and even get diagnostics. All of that works out of the box, with a single setup.

If you need more, you can expand it with multiple extensions. It also stays up to date with the latest technologies, including a seamless AI integration. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

What do you dislike about Visual Studio?

It’s a large application, so you’ll need a fairly powerful machine to run it smoothly.

It can feel heavy and resource-intensive. For smaller tasks or simpler applications, other options may be more suitable.

The learning curve can also be steep, since several features are tucked away behind right-click menus or buried in submenus. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

Rinaldo B.
RB
CTO
Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.)
"VSCode: unbeatable plugin ecosystem and super responsive community"
What do you like best about Visual Studio?

I have been using Visual Studio Code for years and every time I try to move away, I come back to it. The main reason is its ecosystem of plugins: the integration with Docker, GitHub, and AI tools like GitHub Copilot turns it into a complete work environment, without having to leave the editor. Added to this is one of the most active open source communities I know: bugs are resolved quickly, documentation is always up-to-date, and there are immediate responses on any channel. I have never felt alone in front of a problem. Finally, despite its power, VSCode remains surprisingly simple to use: clean interface, fast navigation, and everything at your fingertips. It is the tool I recommend to everyone, from the first day of coding to the most complex projects. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

What do you dislike about Visual Studio?

However, there are some drawbacks: with many plugins active, memory consumption can become significant, and on older machines, some slowdown is noticeable. Furthermore, the number of available extensions is such that finding the right one requires time and some trial and error. Small compromises that, all in all, are willingly accepted. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

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GU
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What are the most impactful features of Visual Studio for developers in building modern applications?

GU
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What is Visual Studio used for?

Pricing Insights

Averages based on real user reviews.

Time to Implement

3 months

Return on Investment

12 months

Average Discount

14%

Perceived Cost

$$$$$

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